BYD and ADL to build 51 electric buses for Go Ahead London

1247530 Jul 2015UK,Electric

The 51 electric buses will be based on BYD chassis with Enviro200 bodies.

An intriguing Chinese-UK alliance has developed to build the UK’s biggest full-electric single-deck bus fleet as Go Ahead confirmed an order for 51 buses which will have BYD chassis and ADL Enviro200 MMC bodies. The two manufacturers claim that the order will be the single largest fleet of full-size electric buses in Europe.

The order follows Go Ahead being awarded the contract from TfL for all-electric buses on routes 507 and 521 which will operate between Waterloo and Victoria. The operator has been trialling earlier generation BYD ebuses on the route since December 2013.

Go-Ahead London expects to introduce all 51 of the new electric vehicles into service by 27 August 2016

The deal is estimated to be worth £19million and includes a full on-site repair and maintenance programme for the term of the contract and depot charging facilities. The body will be based on ADL’s Enviro200 MMC single-deck which has chalked up 18,000 sales worldwide, and BYD’s own iron-phosphate battery technology and drivetrain. BYD claims to have 3,500 electric buses in service worldwide.

The zero-emission vehicles will have a passenger capacity of up to 90, according to BYD and ADL. The BYD chassis will be supplied fully-built for bodying at ADL’s Falkirk plant.

“Working together with our partners and friends at ADL we can provide a truly optimised blend of expertise,” says Isbrand Ho, managing director, BYD Europe. “Our deep experience of not only battery technology but the critical battery management systems and driveline components necessary to deliver unequalled range and reliability are matched to ADL’s strong track record in building low-weight, attractive and durable buses.”

Colin Robertson, ADL chief executive adds: “Technology is at the forefront of everything we do and this unique alliance with BYD represents a quantum leap into the future. Our combined strengths and, critically, the unified aftermarket support we are putting in place to support Go-Ahead London in the long-term, represents a fundamental of our combined business philosophy.

“The backing of Go-Ahead – in the form of this £19million contract – is a huge confidence-booster and we are delighted to have emerged alongside BYD as the preferred bidder in what was a highly competitive process involving a raft of global competitors. I see this new initiative as a major turning point for ADL and our new technology partner, BYD.”

BYD won its first UK fleet order earlier this year comprising 13 ebuses for Nottingham city council, to be delivered later this year.